Barki Gergely et al.: Czóbel. A French Hungarian painter - ArtMill publications 5. (Szentendre, 2014)

László Jurecskó: Béla Czóbel in Nagybánya

be capable of the boldest intellectual work. I think of him with great love. Many times I see his long, skinny form. Among the colleagues from that time, his memory lingers with me most. I cannot forget him, and we must not forget him, that genuine painting promise destroyed by fate which can be cruel. So it was written, but I repeat, we must not forget him, because his promise, too, was beautiful.” See Note 5.

In his painting entitled Sitting Peasant, completed that summer, we may observe uniform brush handling inthefigureandthe landscape (Plate 15). On the basis of this intricately balanced composition - with its sunlight, chiaroscuro, masterly portrayal of tones and proper use of highlights - we can state that the young man knew practically everything about this style.

This is further proven by two pictures painted in the same year with truly intriguing configurations. In both paintings, the depicted figure stands facing away from the painter. In the first, somewhat saccharine picture, Maticska’s older sister or Czóbel’s love and later wife, Isolde Daig could have been the model for the lady in the pretty pink top (Plate 14).21 Contributing to the peculiarity

16. Béla Czóbel: Ferenc Lehel in Nagybánya (Church in Nagybánya), 1904. Private collection

24

CZÓBEL, A FRENCH HUNGARIAN PAINTER